Chapter 1

After the beginning of autumn, the heat of noon was already showing signs of weakening.

The new book published by Feng Yixuan, "New Regional Economic Relations," was still quite thought-provoking. Chen Li spent the whole morning in the library, feeling dizzy and his eyes sore, having only managed to read a few dozen pages. By now, he was already famished.

Chen Li walked out of the west gate of the library, which was covered with lush ivy, just as a group of freshmen who had just finished their morning military training passed by. As the top university in Central Province, Central University's military training lasted for a month. Classes began on September 8th, and after missing the National Day holiday, they would train for another week before the drill performance, then enter the classroom for studies. Although the training was tough, the freshmen's faces still radiated the joy of having just escaped the grueling college entrance exam and their boundless anticipation for university life.

Looking at their young and inexperienced faces, Chen Li couldn't help but think back to the moment two years ago when he and Tang Xiao, holding their acceptance letters, first stepped into Shangdu City, also young, inexperienced, and even a bit timid.

Tang Xiao's beautiful face, filled with naive longing for the big city, involuntarily appeared in Chen Li's mind again, causing him a sudden pain. He hadn't expected that even after nearly two years of breaking up, he would still involuntarily think about the early days of their college life. He took a deep breath, tucked the new book "New Regional Economic Relations" under his arm, and hurried toward the west gate of the campus.

"Senior, could you please tell me where Dormitory 11 is?"

Chen Li was hurrying along, thinking that walking faster might help him shake off the image of Tang Xiao's innocent face from his mind, when a petite girl suddenly ran up to ask for directions. He almost couldn't stop in time and almost bumped into her.

The girl was wearing a slightly oversized military training uniform. After a few days of training, her oval face had turned a wheat color, but it still showed a blush that couldn't be concealed. She asked for directions with clear, beautiful eyes that were somewhat shy and evasive. A few other girls nearby were giggling.

After breaking up with Tang Xiao, Chen Li had become more reserved in matters of love, but he knew that at this moment, he was being approached.

"Go all the way down this road, turn right, and the third building is Dormitory 11. Be careful not to get lost!" Chen Li said with a smile.

The girl's face turned red when her intentions were seen through, her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her chest. But hearing the unrestrained laughter of her sisters behind her, she was unwilling to lose the bet to them. She stubbornly lifted her already developing chest and, biting her pink lips, asked:

"Senior, could you take me there?"

By Zhou Bin's standards, this girl could easily score over 80 points. But Chen Li could see that she was just one of several girls playing a joke on him. He had no interest in playing along with their games.

Chen Li grabbed a guy who seemed to have been following the girls for a while: "This little junior wants to go to Dormitory 11. Brother, you should have some free time, right..." Without waiting for a response, he pushed the girl who had approached him into the arms of the dazed senior and quickly left.

For others, this sudden encounter might be the beginning of a campus romance, or even a memory to cherish for a lifetime. But for Chen Li, no one had yet filled the void left by Tang Xiao's departure.

It was already his third year, and unlike his classmates who were engrossed in campus romances or obsessed with preparing for postgraduate exams, Chen Li was living a calm and composed life.

He was a very practical person, making practical plans and focusing on practical matters.

If it weren't for Professor Feng Yixuan's rare economics lectures, he could have enjoyed his life as a small boss.

It was the autumn of 2000. Computers had just entered the public's view, and in the chaotic Jiangxiu Street outside the west gate of Central University, several black internet cafes had been thriving for some time. Chen Li and his dorm mate Zhou Bin were the behind-the-scenes bosses of one of these, called New Trend Internet Cafe.

Among students whose monthly living expenses were only three to four hundred yuan, being a dual-identity internet cafe boss was undoubtedly eye-catching. But for Chen Li, it meant he didn't have to worry about postgraduate exams or aimlessly look for internships, allowing him to continue enjoying the beautiful college life with ease.

Becoming the behind-the-scenes boss of New Trend Internet Cafe was quite dramatic.

When Zhang Weidong, who was just over thirty, first opened New Trend Internet Cafe, Chen Li wasn't very interested in games like Diablo, StarCraft, or the newly emerging MUDs. He was only dragged by Zhou Bin to stay up all night online, checking various professional materials and playing a few games of Go on the internet.

Zhang Weidong's interest in Go far exceeded his interest in running the internet cafe. Once, passing by Chen Li, he thought Chen Li had made a bad move and couldn't resist giving advice. But upon seeing Chen Li's ranking on the internet Go platform, he realized he had made a big mistake.

From then on, Zhang Weidong only asked Chen Li to play a guiding game each time he came, waiving the internet fees for Chen Li and Zhou Bin. The three of them quickly became close, and Chen Li eventually introduced Zhao Yang, who had torn up his acceptance letter to work in the provincial capital to support his younger siblings, to work at New Trend Internet Cafe.

Six months ago, Zhang Weidong was forced by his father to go abroad to take over the family business, and the internet cafe, which had been lukewarm, needed to be sold.

In 2000, there were no popular large-scale online games like "Legend" or "Miracle," and MUDs were still in their infancy. The internet connection speed was far from satisfactory, but the cost of dedicated lines and the rent in Jiangxiu Street were not cheap. Under Zhang Weidong's management, New Trend Internet Cafe could only barely make ends meet. In the end, he sold the thirty-plus second-hand computers, business license, and the remaining half-year's rent to Zhou Bin, Chen Li, and Zhao Yang at a very low price.

Zhou Bin, a rich second-generation, provided the ten thousand yuan to take over New Trend Internet Cafe from his family. He knew that the low price was entirely due to Zhang Weidong's respect for Chen Li. Without Chen Li, he had no confidence in running New Trend Internet Cafe well, so he insisted that Chen Li join him as a co-owner.

The extra five thousand yuan was considered a loan to Chen Li.

But the ambitious Zhou Bin, who was initially full of enthusiasm, was already complaining after just two days. Chen Li, however, was not in a hurry.

Chen Li had known from the beginning that this would be the case. Even if he intended to temper Zhou Bin's character, he also needed to get New Trend Internet Cafe on track before he could become a "hands-off second boss."

Chen Li used two rounds of skewers and beer to invite a senior from the computer science department to develop an independent billing and timing system. Besides using it in New Trend Internet Cafe, they also sold it to over a dozen other internet cafes near the university. He then approached the student council of Xiaozhuang Normal College, known for its beautiful students and teacher training, and turned New Trend Internet Cafe into a work-study base, selecting young and attractive girls to work as managers.

With two beautiful and enthusiastic girls providing service every day, the male-to-female ratio of six to one at Central University was already enough to make the students go wild.

Later, Chen Li also developed additional services such as food delivery, phone cards, instant noodles, drinks, printing, and even collaborated with nearby restaurants to display their advertisements on the startup screens of the internet cafe computers.

After Chen Li's series of actions, Zhou Bin suddenly realized that the previously lukewarm New Trend Internet Cafe, with its thirty-plus computers, was generating over ten thousand yuan in net profit each month...

In 2000, the starting salary for Central University graduates was just over a thousand yuan, and Chen Li had already taken a step ahead without drawing attention. With his laid-back personality, he was not in a hurry to consider work or postgraduate exams.

Leaving the library, he shook off the girl who had approached him and went to find his friends Zhao Yang and Zhou Bin, who were guarding New Trend Internet Cafe in the morning, to have lunch first and then attend Professor Feng Yixuan's lecture in the afternoon.

This was the biggest attraction of Central University for him at the time...

***

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, making the heat unbearable. A gentle autumn breeze gradually brought a refreshing coolness.

"Damn weather!" Chen Li looked up at the blazing sun and quickly walked into Jiangxiu Street outside the west gate of the school.

The bustling market blocked the cool breeze from entering the street, and the noisy hawking and inquiries created a sense of restlessness.

All schools, regardless of their reputation or environment, had a standard feature that students loved to complain about: the cafeteria.

Even the cafeteria of Central University, the top university in Central Province, was no exception. The peculiar dishes it served, such as mooncake stir-fry, paradoxically contributed to the prosperity of Jiangxiu Street outside the west gate.

At mealtime, groups of students would flood out to enjoy a decent meal. This obvious business opportunity benefited the residents around the campus. With such a prime location, they could make money by pushing a tricycle onto the street, working only for a short while and then resting, without needing to go out to work.

At the street corner, Zhou Bin and Zhao Yang, who had just left New Trend Internet Cafe, were squatting on the ground smoking.

Chen Li had already seen Zhou Bin and Zhao Yang, but their eyes were fixed on the young and attractive girls passing by. Just as Chen Li was about to call out to Zhou Bin, a red BMW drove past him and quickly parked on the side of the road, about twenty meters away.

In 2000, even an entry-level BMW was rare in Shangdu City. This car was clearly a new one, with no window film, making everything inside clearly visible.

The woman in the car had a charming face, with a beautiful nose and lips. She was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, but looked a bit tired, with faint dark circles under her eyes, which made her eyes even more alluring. She was checking her face in the rearview mirror, looking for any imperfections—by Zhou Bin's standards, this face could easily score ninety points. Chen Li wondered whether to remind Zhou Bin and Zhao Yang to come and see the beautiful woman.

In the back seat, a little girl, about two or three years old, was sitting in a child safety seat, looking curiously outside and smiling innocently at Chen Li, her rosy dimples making his heart warm, and he couldn't help but smile back.

The woman got out of the car, seeing Chen Li smiling at her for no apparent reason, and thought something might be wrong. She instinctively pulled down her slightly wrinkled skirt to cover her plump, smooth legs, causing passersby to sigh inwardly.

The woman, wearing high heels, walked toward a roadside stall selling radish cakes. Chen Li, who thought he had developed a strong resistance to beautiful women after breaking up with Tang Xiao, couldn't help but glance at the woman's chest, which was swaying under her lace round-neck blouse, creating a perfect curve.

Chen Li, tall and slender with a handsome face, wouldn't make anyone dislike him, but the woman seemed to have had enough of people staring at her and moved to the side. Chen Li's attention was quickly drawn to a middle-aged man who was lingering near the BMW.

The man, who had been walking in the scorching sun for a long time, had a sweat-soaked, wrinkled shirt, a messy beard, and a haggard look. Although he was looking at the beautiful woman, his eyes were darting around, checking where the passersby were paying attention.

Chen Li frowned, feeling a sense of alertness, and deliberately stopped next to the woman to continue observing the suspicious middle-aged man.

Central Province was known for its large number of migrant workers, and the increasing population had put a growing strain on public security. The woman's Chanel handbag was with her, but what had caught the man's attention? Was there anything valuable left in the car?

When the man's eyes repeatedly darted to the child in the back seat, Chen Li's heart skipped a beat: Could this man dare to kidnap a child in broad daylight in a university town? That would be incredibly bold.

"Is your car locked?" Chen Li reached out to touch the woman's shoulder, trying to warn her, but she jumped to the side, startled.

She instinctively thought Chen Li was trying to take advantage of her and didn't hear what he said, frowning and wanting to scold the seemingly handsome but perverted boy. At that moment, the middle-aged man bit his lip and suddenly opened the car door and got in.

Damn! This is not normal!

"Someone is in your car. Do you know him?" Chen Li shouted, seeing the man get into the driver's seat and start fumbling for the keys.

Seeing this, Chen Li wanted to spit at the woman for her lack of common sense. She had left the child in the car, the door not fully closed, and even left the keys in the car!

The little girl's innocent smile was so pure, not knowing what it meant for a stranger to suddenly get into the car. Whether the man intended to rob or kidnap, Chen Li wouldn't let him succeed. He ran toward the BMW.

The engine roared to life, and the woman, realizing what was happening, was terrified, her face pale, and she screamed, "Carjacking! Someone is carjacking! Bao'er, Bao'er..." and ran toward the car, but her high heels twisted, and she fell to the ground.

Chen Li lunged toward the side of the BMW, which was about to start, and shouted to the bewildered Zhao Yang and Zhou Bin, "Zhou Bin, someone is carjacking!" The car door was not fully closed, and the car had just started, so Chen Li thought he still had a chance to pull the man out...

The man, possibly due to nervousness or lack of experience with luxury cars, stalled the car as soon as it started. Chen Li had already opened the car door and was halfway inside, grabbing the man's collar, trying to pull him out!

With countless students and vendors at the west gate of Central University, if he could pull the man out, he wouldn't need Zhou Bin and Zhao Yang to intervene to beat him up. Chen Li wouldn't let him have another chance to start the car.

The man, not expecting the car to stall and Chen Li's quick reaction, couldn't break free from Chen Li's grip and, in a panic, grabbed a folding knife from his pocket and started slashing outward...